Peace Pledge Union

People in story: Jessie Baston
Location of story: North East England
Background to story: Civilian

This story was
submitted to the People’s War site by Alan Shippam of the ‘Action Desk –
Sheffield’ Team on behalf of Jessie Baston.

When war broke out I was teaching at a Grammar School in a village in County
Durham. As a member of the Peace Pledge Union (“I renounce war and will never
support or sanction another one”), I joined the local group.

When the night of bombing of Germany began, I wrote to the local paper on
behalf of the group to protest. A reply appeared, my Landlady’s husband said,
“If you intend to reply to this letter it will be from another address!” I
replied c/o a member of the group. He was furious, “Get out!”

It was 8 o’clock in the morning, I packed my things, spent a night in the
school’s medical room, then was offered a flat in Durham, returning soon to the
village where I was given accommodation by an elderly woman who shared my
ideas. However, I had by then been appointed to a school in the West Riding and
came down to Sheffield where I found more people who shared my views, and a
more tolerant atmosphere generally.